The present invention relates to a time information display system capable of appending relative date and time with respect to a date and time expression character string on the basis of present date and time to display the time information.
Generally, forming of documents on computers is very recently popularized. Also, exchanging of documents by using electronic mails is popularized. There are many cases that broadcasting notifications such as notifications as to holding of meetings are issued by way of electronic mails. In this case, such an expression “meeting will be held tomorrow” may be used in subjects and the like of mail documents. However, a mail receiving person does not always read a mail document on the date and time when a mail sending person sends this electronic mail. Thus, the mail receiving person can hardly judge the relevant date and time by merely viewing the subject. As a consequence, the mail receiving person may judge this relevant date/time by confirming the date/time when the mail document was actually sent. On the other hand, in order to clearly define the relevant date/time, the mail sending person requires to clearly write the relevant date/time in the subject. These actions may cause certain probabilities that both the mail sending person and the mail receiving person may mistakenly recognize incorrect date and time.
To solve these problems, JP-A-11-96146 has proposed such a technique that while the time difference is calculated based upon both the inputted time information and the previously-registered schedule data, such an expression “several days are still left” is displayed.
Also, JP-A-6-203031 has proposed the following technique. That is, such relative date/time expressions as “Wednesday in last week” and “today” are converted into the absolute date/time expressions corresponding thereto, and the converted absolute date/time expressions are displayed.
Furthermore, JP-A-6-266723 describes the document forming apparatus which converts the relative time into the absolute time, and also, converts the absolute time into the relative time based upon the document forming time.
However, in the above-described technique disclosed in JP-A-11-96146, since the time difference with respect to the schedule data which has been previously registered by the user is calculated, there are many opportunities that when the first electronic mail as to the notification of holding of the meeting is received, this meeting has not yet been registered in the above schedule date. As a result, after the user has registered the schedule data, the user is newly required to confirm the content of the electronic mail. Also, since the time is calculated with respect to the previously registered schedule data, there is a certain possibility that another time difference is calculated with respect to such a schedule data different from this meeting to display this calculated time difference.
Also, in the above-described technique disclosed in JP-A-6-203031, when the document is inputted, the relative date/time is converted into the relevant absolute date/time. Therefore, in such a case that an electronic mail in which a relative date/time expression is used in a subject, or the like is transmitted, the mail receiver requires to confirm an absolute date/time corresponding thereto based upon a calendar. Also, in the case that a mail input person does not immediately transmit an electronic mail, if the mail input person forms a document by considering transmission date/time, then there is such a problem that this transmission date/time is converted to such an absolute date/time which is different from the actual absolute date/time.
Also, in the above-explained technique described in the JP-A-6-266723, while the document forming time is used as the reference time, the absolute time may be converted into the relative time so as to display the converted relative time. However, in the case that the unsealing time of the mail reading person is different from the document forming time of the mail sender, there is a problem that no specific care is taken as to the display of the time expression described in the document.